Phil in the Blank A column by Phil Custodio

With four days until Clarkston State Bank Back Roads Half Marathon, my training is over. I probably should have got in some more. My goal is to finish safely, with a secondary goal of maintaining a technically running pace the entire time. This won’t be easy, especially up and down the hills of the Deer […]

Hometown music maker making it big

Clarkston grad Billy Parr’s music career is taking off, and he’s ready for the next step. Parr and Matt Rankin’s Synergy Production tours the country, performing in shows and competitions in Detroit, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. “Everything’s going good. We’re making a lot of industry connections,” Parr said. They meet with artists at events, stay […]

3 decades in Navy for Clarkston grad

Mark Doolin retired recently as a Command Master Chief after 30 years in the U.S. Navy, with a diverse career in peacetime and war around the world, including frigates, aircraft carriers, and the Pentagon. “Not bad for a punk from Clarkston,” Doolin said. “I kept pretty busy. It was a great career. I loved every […]

Right-to-work lawsuit could include local

A lawsuit against the Michigan Education Association could include a Clarkston paraeducator. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation’s lawsuit against the union’s “August Window” policy ? employees can opt out of membership only in August ? says the policy is outdated and limits members? First Amendment rights to one month. Paraeducator Amy Breza, a client of […]

High schooler on international stage with Optimists

Sean Mueller is a junior at Clarkston High School, but has already been a state governor with Junior Optimist Octagon International (JOOI). “It went pretty well ? I gave a couple speeches here and there,? said Mueller, who has served as governor for the past year. He traveled around the state helping new clubs, giving […]

Puppets more than child’s play

Deep in the heart of Independence Township, a small team of highly skilled specialists works hard to bring mechanical beings to life. And they have a waiting list, said Timothy S’lberg’of S’lberg Studios Inc. “I’ve always been interested in puppets and robots – I thought they were cool,” said S’lberg. “I was always drawing them […]

Trimesters on trial

The time for trimesters may be coming to an end in in Clarkston. A Scheduling Task Force of administrators and teachers is recommending Clarkston Community Schools go back to two semesters per year. “This is a much different time,” said Assistant Superintendent Shawn Ryan, reporting to the school board, Monday. “We’ve faced struggles we couldn’t […]

Count down, as expected

This fall’s count day showed a reduction in Clarkston Community School student population, as officials expected. “We anticipate, before the official audit from Oakland Schools, a loss of about 70 students, which is where we budgeted,” said Superintedent Dr. Rod Rock. With state funding of $7,140 per pupil in the 2014 school year, that would […]

Longtime fan does his part in Tigers win

Mark Beauchamp of Clarkston has been to about 1,000 Major League Baseball games in his life. Game 4 in the Detroit Tigers? American League Division Series was the first time he took part in one. ‘I never thought I’d be part of the game ? it was pretty surreal,? said Beauchamp, who fumbled a flyball […]

Phil in the Blank A column by Phil Custodio

As the fog rolled in Saturday morning, I found myself on a deserted road with no clear idea which way to go. A parked SUV came into view, with a ‘Clarkston Dance Team? decal in the back window. This was a problem. I had run by a suspiciously similar looking vehicle about 10 minutes earlier. […]

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